Those are the potential consequences of such indecent exposure at a time when law enforcement officials nationwide are cracking down on child pornography on the web. In Pennsylvania, for example, three teenage girls face similar charges for sending explicit messages via their cell phones, a practice known as "sexting."

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says it has seen a rise in cases of teenagers who, because of severe bad judgment or downright stupidity, place semi-nude or nude photos of themselves on the web or send racy cell phone pictures of themselves to friends. Most have no idea that their photos could end up in the hands of child pornographers.

Such images are a treasure trove for child predators says John Sheehan, director of the Exploited Child Division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. And they can live on in cyberspace forever.

Still, it's troubling that the same measures intended to protect children from exploitation are now being used to criminalize them. These laws were drafted to address adult sex abuse of minors, but there is no exemption for minors who create and distribute images of themselves.

Clearly law enforcement should exercise discretion in applying those laws to teenagers using technology in ways that weren't dreamed of a few years ago. A blanket policy of charging all youth who engage in risky internet behavior as criminals is not the solution. Prosecuting young people for sending sexual images of themselves into cyberspace could serve as an example and a warning, but at the expense of ruining some young person's future.

We're glad the Passaic County prosecutor's office has signaled it likely will not press for jail time and sex-offender registration in a case like this one. Those who traffic child pornography on the internet must and should be punished. But teenagers who engage in this type of foolish behavior need counseling, not prosecution.

It's time communities, parents and schools get serious about raising awareness about internet safety and educate teenagers about the consequences of their actions.